From first principles I think the concept can make sense. From car-specific function-specific ECUs, to platform-shared (but still function-specific) ECUs, then to Zonal architecture and domain controllers. The goals: consolidate and generalize HW across the lineup moving model-specific bits to FW/SW/Config (amortizes the development cost and simplifies certification), and also simplify wiring (saves you precious copper wires which are costly, messy, and heavy) because you can pretty much just plug every miscellaneous sensor or actuator to its nearest "anchor point" without worrying (too much) about arbitrary ECU limitations.
This might sound like purely implementation detail, but having the (non-safety-critical) "business logic" of a car as software gives the manufacturer flexibility to late-bind behavior as new use cases / demands inevitably get discovered.
Something can simultaneously be a good idea, buzzword'd by marketing, and/or deviate from the original intentions.
See Rivian's intro on their ECU design and Zonal architecture: https://youtu.be/6ZBko4TvfJY?t=137&si=-SKL_iFqZFnHE8nQ
This might sound like purely implementation detail, but having the (non-safety-critical) "business logic" of a car as software gives the manufacturer flexibility to late-bind behavior as new use cases / demands inevitably get discovered.
Something can simultaneously be a good idea, buzzword'd by marketing, and/or deviate from the original intentions.